[ti:Vietnam Parliament Elects Vo Van Thuong as New President]
[by:www.21voa.com]
[00:00.00]更多听力请访问21VOA.COM
[00:00.0]Vietnam's National Assembly on Thursday
[00:03.35]elected Vo Van Thuong as the country's new president.
[00:07.94]The country is changing its top leadership
[00:11.51]as it continues its anti-corruption campaign.
[00:15.54]In an extraordinary session, lawmakers confirmed the 52-year-old Thuong
[00:22.14]as president after the ruling Communist Party nominated him on Wednesday.
[00:27.82]The president in Vietnam is largely a ceremonial job.
[00:32.66]But it is one of the nation's top four political positions.
[00:38.2]Thuong's election follows the sudden resignation of previous president Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
[00:47.36]Phuc stepped down in January.
[00:50.18]The party blamed him for "violations and wrongdoing" by officials under his control.
[00:57.24]His resignation was seen as a major escalation of the country's anti-corruption crackdown.
[01:04.63]In his first speech to the parliament as new president,
[01:09.40]Thuong said he will "resolutely" continue the fight against corruption.
[01:15.56]"I will be ... loyal to the fatherland, the people and the constitution,
[01:21.52]striving to fulfill the tasks assigned by the party, the state and the people,"
[01:28.31]Thuong said in a statement on Vietnam's state television.
[01:33.56]Thuong is the youngest member of the party's Politburo,
[01:37.95]the country's top decision-making body.
[01:41.15]He is considered an established member of the party.
[01:45.34]He began his political career as a college student in communist youth groups.
[01:51.14]He is widely thought to have a close relationship
[01:55.15]with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam's most powerful leader.
[02:01.40]Trong is the main official behind the party's battle against corruption.
[02:07.36]The anti-corruption campaign "will not cool down
[02:11.25]in the foreseeable future," said Florian Feyerabend.
[02:15.81]He is the representative in Vietnam for Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
[02:22.65]Diplomats and businesspeople have raised concerns about the anti-corruption campaign
[02:29.0]because it has limited many normal deals in Vietnam.
[02:34.46]And officials fear being caught up in the crackdown.
[02:38.96]A Hanoi-based diplomat told Reuters that Thuong's election
[02:44.36]was a major step by General Secretary Trong in the competition to succeed him.
[02:50.53]The 78-year-old leader may step down before the end of his third term in 2026.
[02:58.41]Thuong was elected with 98.38 percent of the votes, the parliament's website says.
[03:05.98]I'm Dan Novak. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM